


mac and dennis' last new year's eve of the decade

by glennsbian



Category: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Genre: M/M, New Year's Eve
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-31
Updated: 2019-12-31
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:48:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22054318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glennsbian/pseuds/glennsbian
Summary: Dennis reflects on how bad his past two New Year's Eves were, and hopes this one will be different.
Relationships: Mac McDonald & Dennis Reynolds, Mac McDonald/Dennis Reynolds
Comments: 4
Kudos: 51





	mac and dennis' last new year's eve of the decade

**Author's Note:**

> hey guys this is my first fic thought of the first couple lines of this last night and decided to write a fic aorund them lol hope u enjoy x

He missed it- he missed the feeling of Mac’s lips on his. He even missed how he tasted, usually of stale beer and whatever he had eaten that day. It had been years since they last kissed. Three long years.

New Year’s Eve 2017, Dennis was sat in his shitty apartment in North Dakota, drinking a beer and watching the Dick Clark’s Rockin’ New Year’s Eve special on TV, alone. He was miserable. He wanted nothing more than to be in Philly, ringing in the New Year with his friends and family- with Mac. But it was too late for that now. It was 11:59, and the ball was dropping.

10.

He really wished he was in Philadelphia.

9.

He wished he was at Paddy’s.

8.

He wished he was drinking cheap champagne out of a beer glass.

7\. 

He wished he was wearing those tacky 2018 glasses, and a stupid glittery hat that said ‘Happy New Year’s!’

6.

He wished he was dancing to mediocre pop music.

5.

He wished he was smiling with Mac, both of them anticipating for what they knew was coming when the clock struck midnight.

4\. 

He wished him and Mac were sneaking into the back office.

3.

He wished Mac was taking his hands.

2\. 

He wished Mac was pulling him in closer.

1\. 

He wished he was kissing Mac. 

He looked up at the TV screen, and people were kissing and celebrating the new year. They all looked so happy. And Dennis had never been less happy in his whole life.

He finished off his beer and passed out.

New Year’s Eve 2018, Mac was out and proud. Dennis was repressed and dejected.

Mac had been talking to some guy for most of the night, while Dennis was tending bar. He tried not to think about them, but his mind was racing. Who was he? Dennis had never seen him before. Did Mac know him? Were they dating? Surely Mac would have told him if he had a boyfriend. 

The crowd in the bar started counting down to midnight. Mac was still with that man. Dennis figured he’d be coming over any second now. In fact, Mac had moved closer to the guy. Dennis tightened his grip on the counter. Midnight was a few seconds away, and he realized he didn’t have anyone to kiss. He looked around, and it seemed like everyone was paired up. 

“HAPPY NEW YEAR!” 

Mac was kissing that man. Dennis was kissing nobody. He grabbed a bottle of tequila, ran into the back office, and locked himself in there, not coming out until the next morning. He wished that night never happened.

New Year’s Eve, 2019. It was 11:00, and the bar was pretty busy, but that was typical for New Year’s Eve. Frank was off talking to some girls, probably trying to find one to bang to ring in the new year, Dee was dancing with the Waitress, and Charlie was sulking in a booth watching them. Dennis had no idea where Mac was, though. He hadn’t seen him in a while, actually. He scanned the bar, and checked in the bathrooms, the office, and even the basement, but couldn’t find him. He stepped outside, and saw Mac leaned up against a wall in the alley. 

“Hey, what are you doing out here, man?”

“It got a little overwhelming in there, I needed some fresh air.”

“It’s cold as shit out here, dude. How have you not frozen to death by now? You’re wearing a tanktop, and it’s 30°.”

“You get used to it. I was really cold at first, but that went away, and now my arms just feel numb.”

“Jesus Christ, Mac. Let’s go inside.” Dennis paused. “We can, uh- we can dance, if you want.”

Mac’s face lit up. “I’d love to, dude.” 

Mac followed Dennis back into the bar, and they found a space on the dancefloor. At first, they were just swaying in front of each other. But Dennis wanted more. He wanted Mac to hold him and never let go. So he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Mac’s neck. Mac looked startled. He stood there for a few seconds, unsure of what to do.

“Aren’t you gonna do something?”

“Huh?”

“Mac, you’re just standing there. Put your arms around my waist, asshole.”

“Are you drunk, Dennis?”

“No! I’ve only had like, two beers tonight. Come on, pull me closer.”

“O-Okay.” Mac smiled at Dennis, and Dennis felt his chest tighten. 

He knew he was in love with Mac. He had known practically his whole life. But he would never admit it to anyone. Instead, he just pushed his feelings down deeper and deeper, hoping they would eventually go away. They didn’t. They got stronger as the years went on, and it scared Dennis. When he was younger, he thought he’d have a wife, a family, by now. He never thought he’d fall in love with his high school weed dealer, Ronald fucking McDonald, and end up living with him for two whole decades. They had built a life together. They bought a bar together, an apartment, and even a house together. Dennis was never meant to have a wife and kids. It was Mac. It was always Mac.

It was 11:45- fifteen minutes till midnight. Mac and Dennis were still dancing; Mac didn’t want to let Dennis go, and Dennis didn’t want him to let him go. But it was getting kind of crazy at the bar. No one was tending it, so it turned into a booze free-for-all. 

“Shit,” Dennis muttered. “I gotta go take care of this.” He let go of Mac, and rushed over to the bar to start making people drinks. Mac followed him, and helped him as best as he could, by giving people beers and shots. Once the crowd wore down, Dennis took a seat on the floor behind the counter. Mac sat down with him.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you make drinks that fast, dude.”

“My arms feel like they’re gonna fall off.”

“Well, you did a great job, man. That was impressive.” Dennis smiled to himself.

Midnight was only a few minutes away. 

This New Year’s Eve felt different to Dennis. It felt familiar, like those from years past. From before he left for North Dakota. He could sense Mac’s anticipation. They both knew what was going to happen at 12:00. It didn’t happen in 2017. Or in 2018. But it was going to happen now. And Dennis couldn’t wait.

“10, 9, 8-” The crowd started counting down to midnight.

“This is it, Mac, 2019 is over.”

“The whole decade is over, bro. I can’t believe it.”

“7, 6, 5, 4-” 

Dennis scooted closer to Mac, and turned to face him. Dennis felt like his heart was gonna burst out of his chest it was beating so fast. He gave Mac a nervous smile.

“3, 2, 1-”

Dennis cupped Mac’s face and leaned in to kiss him. Mac met him in the middle, and their mouths crashed together. 

Dennis thought about that New Year’s Eve two years ago, about all the happy people he saw on TV, celebrating the new year. He finally felt like one of those people. He was kissing the love of his life, and he was happy. He never wanted the moment to end.

“Happy New Year, Mac.”

“Happy New Year, Den.”

**Author's Note:**

> you can find me on twitter at @glennsbian and on tumblr as @clowndennis :3 happy new years guys, i hope the next decade treats u well!


End file.
